When I tracked my mail delivery in early September, I noted that we would be receiving a package from State Farm Insurance; we have no policy with the company. When it arrived, it said it was for a gentleman who has never lived here, at least not in the last forty years.
My wife and I find it odd that we receive mail for people who do not live at our address. We’ve been here for a quarter of a century, and the previous owners, now deceased, dwelled here for about 15 years. It’s happened a fair amount over the years, but it’s become more frequent over the past half-decade.
It’s often from insurance companies. A couple of months ago, I called one insurance company that had sent us three pieces of mail that arrived for the same woman. They were appreciative, and we had not gotten anything for that particular party since.
But not only was the package from State Farm for a person a stranger to us, but, and this happens fairly often, an Apartment #1 is added to our address; we live in a one-family house.
Drive Safe & Save
We’d just toss most of the other misdirected mail into the shred bag. But the package sent from Bloomington, IL required a different response. After it sat around for a few days, I decided to open the package. It’s a Drive Safe & Save beacon, “technology by Cambridge Mobile Telematics.”
“Using your smartphone’s camera, scan the QR code, and then log in to the State Farm app to pair your beacon… “Select my vehicle and complete the setup today!”
I called a State Farm main number. But its touted AI technology couldn’t help someone like me who wasn’t a customer with a claim, a tech problem, or the like.
So what does one do with this? Does State Farm want to send these doodads around the country?
Then a subsequent standard mailing arrived, which I opened. I called the agent, who said that the online application came from the 347 area code. A few minutes later, he verified that the client was actually from Brooklyn, where auto insurance rates are much higher, as I understand it.
But how did he get OUR address? I theorize that he somehow got it from a voter registration roll. The designation of Apt 1 was carried over from my wife’s former address, which she has had corrected.